As integrated circuit fabrication technology improves, manufacturers are able to integrate additional functionality on a single chip. The additional functionality, however, also adds to the number of components on a single chip, which results in additional signal switching, in turn, consuming more power and generating more heat. Excessive heat may damage a chip by, for example, thermal expansion. Also, the additional heat and power consumption may limit where a computer system may be installed.
Computing performance may be improved by incorporating multiple processor cores on a single chip. The number of processor cores that may be successfully incorporated on a single chip, however, may be limited due to the excessive heat generation and/or power consumption.
Fans may be utilized to dissipate heat generated by chips, for example, in conjunction with heat sinks. Heat sinks are pieces of metallic material that draw the generated heat away from a chip. Fans may then direct the extracted heat away from computer systems. As the generated heat increases, however, so does the cost associated with providing an adequate heat sink.
Another approach uses liquid cooling which can be expensive and is generally reserved for higher end computer systems (such as super computers).